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World Endurance Championship – Silverstone Travel Guide

The 2017 World Endurance Championship is in its sixth season, and will be kicking off in the UK at Silverstone on the 16th April. This exciting motor racing tournament is all about endurance and driver skill, as well as the reliability of the cars over many hours on the track. Races will be held on famous circuits all around the world, including the 85th running of the iconic 24 Hours of Le Mans in France.

The first 6 hour race at Silverstone will set up potential contenders for Le Mans, so it’s a great opportunity for a visit to the UK to see this fantastic event.

Getting there

Silverstone is one of the UK’s most famous race circuits, and is conveniently located in Northamptonshire in the centre of the country. If you’re travelling across the Channel from Dunkirk or Calais, you can drive directly from Dover to Silverstone in around 2 hours 40 minutes.

To get the racetrack itself is very easy by car, and can be reached on the A43 from either the M40 or the M1, both of which connect to the M25 London ring road. If you’re using public transport, the nearest mainline train stations are Northampton, Banbury, or Milton Keynes.

Parking

There is extensive parking at the circuit, entry to which is included with your ticket on race days. There are also options for park and ride from nearby car parks, including at Towcester Racecourse, Turweston Flying School, and Hinton-in-the-Hedges Airfield.

Where to stay

Silverstone Circuit is ideally situated near to many great towns and cities, as well as plenty of local hotels.

There’s also onsite camping available at Silverstone itself, as well as many nearby campsites.

Silverstone Woodlands is the official campsite, with plenty of top quality facilities including toilets and shower blocks, as well as bars, food, and evening entertainment.

You can reserve your spot when you book your weekend race tickets on the Silverstone website.

There are also other local campsites set up to support race days at Silverstone, including Whittlebury Park, and the Silverstone Recreational Association.

Silverstone Circuit

Silverstone race track has hosted many significant motor racing events in its long history, as well as many cultural and entertainment events. It started life as an airfield, left unused at the end of the Second World War. Britain had no major race tracks, so Silverstone was selected as a good central location in the middle of England. It hosted its first event, the RAC International Grand Prix, in 1948, attended by an estimated 100,000 people.

Silverstone grew in notoriety over the following decades, hosting national and international motor racing events, including the only British motor race attended by a reigning monarch, when George VI watched the European Grand Prix in 1950.

​ Today the track has seen some of the biggest stars in motorsport make their debuts and rise to fame, including F1 champion Lewis Hamilton.

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